Questlove's Earth, Wind & Fire doc shows how trauma lingered behind a band's relentless positivity

Earth Wind & Fire’s “September,” with its nonsensical phrase “ba-dee-ya,” has been streamed more than 2.3 billion times on Spotify, more than the band’s next five songs combined (including “Let’s Groove,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “Shining Star”).In his visually and sonically vibrant film “Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs.That’s the Weight of the World),” drummer, DJ and director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (“Summer of Soul”) shows how the funky but aspirational band was much more than its biggest hit musically.Well DocumentedWith networks and streamers seeking to create compelling content, many have found the answer in true stories.

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But he also explores, in depth, the complexities of the band’s central figure, Maurice White.A self-affirming visionary who wanted to bring hope to people, White mixed journaling with talk of spaceships and metaphysics.

However, he was also traumatized by a childhood in which his mother moved to Chicago for more opportunities, leaving White in Memphis, where he was once brutally beaten by white policemen.Those scars created a man who was a distant father and equally remote with his band members at the peak, mistreating them with casual disdain until everything fell apart.Questlove recently spoke by video call about the film, now streaming on HBO Max, which features interviews with family, surviving band members, childhood friend Booker T.

Jones and a couple of fans named Barack and Michelle Obama.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.What drew you to this story?In 2020, I was DJing on the internet, live streaming and I was DJing to calm people down from thinking they’re going to die in the apocalypse.

One day I did an Earth, Wind & Fire set and when I got to the fourth hou...